I think a good compost formula has a bit of everything, some farmyard manure, everything from the house waste which can be composted and woodchip. Woodchip bought fresh at this time of the year is the best as it's got lots of fresh green growth in it, it's known as 'Ramial' when it's from newer growth.
Woodchip can be difficult. It can be larger bits than are ideal so they take ages to rot down. I was quite happy when I went to pick up some manure for free from a stables, they'd taken to bedding their horses on woodchip, so I was picking up poo and wee mixed woodchip for free. If you're not as lucky as that and you need woodchip in your life then don't despair, find your local Equestrian supplies and buy a bag. I've found it at £7.80 for 20kg and 20kg of dry woodchip is a fair amount for the home composter. The best bit? It's chopped up really fine so will compost quicker. So if you have too many grass clippings this year mix some in with some paper, cardboard and make great compost.
Hi composters an update on how my compost is doing. So I've managed to make 3 of my large bins full of finished compost since Christmas, that's when I started to clear the perennial beds, currently I have 2 hot working bins. It's been harder to get things really going as I don't get as much grass due to new neighbours not wanting me to have theirs, they insist it must go in the council lorry 😔😔. Also I've not heard any tree surgeon waste this year so I think I'll be down on volume
This is a lecture from Great Dixter on the technical details of soil web and various composting techniques. It is from a particular stand point - not the simple, down and dirty approach which is most useful for most people. But there might be elements in the video that might be interesting and new for some on the forum. It large scale composting, bio-reactors, and techincal specs. (£15)
“… Wool is made from a protein called keratin, the exact same substance that our hair is made from. When wool degrades, naturally occurring fungi first attacks the ends of the wool fibre. Bacteria then eat the weakened wool fibre by secreting enzymes.
Wool contains a high percentage of nitrogen, around 17% (much higher than a lot of commercial turf products, which contain around 6% nitrogen). Plants require nitrogen for photosynthesis.…”
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We always put our cut hair in the bins, never see it again in hair form. That’s why its best to wear wool if you can, it’s composts well, unlike fibres made from oil, they’ll be with us forever.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
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Woodchip bought fresh at this time of the year is the best as it's got lots of fresh green growth in it, it's known as 'Ramial' when it's from newer growth.
Woodchip can be difficult. It can be larger bits than are ideal so they take ages to rot down.
I was quite happy when I went to pick up some manure for free from a stables, they'd taken to bedding their horses on woodchip, so I was picking up poo and wee mixed woodchip for free.
If you're not as lucky as that and you need woodchip in your life then don't despair, find your local Equestrian supplies and buy a bag. I've found it at £7.80 for 20kg and 20kg of dry woodchip is a fair amount for the home composter. The best bit? It's chopped up really fine so will compost quicker.
So if you have too many grass clippings this year mix some in with some paper, cardboard and make great compost.
It's been harder to get things really going as I don't get as much grass due to new neighbours not wanting me to have theirs, they insist it must go in the council lorry 😔😔. Also I've not heard any tree surgeon waste this year so I think I'll be down on volume
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
says:
“… Wool is made from a protein called keratin, the exact same substance that our hair is made from. When wool degrades, naturally occurring fungi first attacks the ends of the wool fibre. Bacteria then eat the weakened wool fibre by secreting enzymes.
Wool contains a high percentage of nitrogen, around 17% (much higher than a lot of commercial turf products, which contain around 6% nitrogen). Plants require nitrogen for photosynthesis.…”
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
That’s why its best to wear wool if you can, it’s composts well, unlike fibres made from oil, they’ll be with us forever.